Regulars
Alexis Ohanian: Internet Freedom Fighter
There’s a problem at the top of the governmental food chain: a lack of understanding about the internet. It’s happening in government’s all over the world. In Australia, the US and even in Europe, governments are lining up behind bills like SOPA and PIPA and rolling over on internet freedom, but with what little freedom we have left, we can fight to save the open internet. This is part two of Gizmodo Australia’s interview with Alexis Ohanian, founder of Reddit turned internet activist.
RIAA Knew That SOPA And PIPA Were Useless All Along
TorrentFreak has posted a supposedly leaked presentation by the RIAA’s chief lawyer that says that it defended SOPA and PIPA even though it knew the censorship legislation wouldn’t be effective against music piracy. Is the RIAA for real, or are they just covering their arses? And what does it mean for your freedom going forward?
The World Wide Web Doesn’t Revolve Around You, Music Industry
It’s always nice when family has your back. So it should come as a great relief to hear that Tim Berners-Lee, father of the internet, opposes recent controversial web freedom-limiting legislation such as SOPA and PIPA.
How Your iPod Contains $8 Billion
Copyright maths might not be something you’ve lent much thought to before, but in this talk Rob Reid — founder of Rhapsody — tries to explain the silly numbers that are used to justify SOPA and PIPA. He’s very funny, and his talk is very interesting. Turns out your iPod might be worth more than you thought.
Should You Act On ACTA? What Australians Need To Know
The Anti-Counterfeiting Trade Agreement certainly sounds, just on the name of the thing alone, like not such a bad idea. But for the basic principles of personal privacy it is, and it’s the latest in the recent rash of acronymic acts that the Internet’s up in arms about. Here’s what we in Australia need to know.
Politicians, Please Stop Supporting Laws You Don’t Even Understand
Another bill which would have violated the civil liberties of many — Hawaii’s H.B. 2288 Internet Dossier bill — has been pulled off the table following public outrage. And for good reason; the law would have tracked every website Hawaiians visited and linked that browsing history to a name and address. It opened the door to profound first and fourth US amendment violations. But worst of all, it was born out of ignorance.
US Senator Hacked Hard (By Anonymous?)
Senator Chuck Grassley, previously documented for his inability to express a coherent thought via World Wide Web, just had that burden removed: his Twitter account has been hacked. For the first time ever, his tweets make sense!
Senate Leader Harry Reid Postpones PIPA Vote
In response to the online blackout in protest of the proposed SOPA and PIPA bills floating around US congress, Senate leader Harry Reid has opted to postpone the vote on the bill, believing there’s a way to first find compromise between all parties.
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